Ground Report

After a round of rigorous Washington State inspections, Christian Health Care Center of Lynden, WA has been recognized as one of the top performing eldercare facilities when it comes to quality of patient care.

The skilled nursing facility recently received multiple five star ratings which determined specific levels of care at CHCC to be “much above average”. Their overall ratings were among the highest of 18 nursing homes in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.

In Washington State, all skilled nursing facilities that care for elders via Medicare or Medicaid insurance are inspected by Department of Social and Health Services surveyors who have been trained on a Federal level.  Results from the annual inspections are publicaly shared with consumers on a website called Nursing Home Compare.

“Nursing Home Compare is a wonderful tool for patients, residents and their loved ones.  It’s factual and unbiased data helps consumers compare the quality of care being delivered at eldercare facilities,” shares Catherine Reis El-Bara, administrator at Christian Health Care Center.

The rating system used to rank facilities is based on performance in these three key areas:

• Health Inspections – comprehensive investigation and on-site visits to individual nursing homes.
• Staffing – facility staffing levels including RN, LPN, therapist and nurse aide hours per resident per day.
• Quality Measures – assessments of the overall health of long term care residents and short term rehabilitation patients.

The top 10 percent of inspected facilities in each state receive five-star ratings. The middle 70 percent receive a rating of two, three, or four stars and the bottom 20 percent receives a one-star rating.

One area CHCC stood out on a state-wide level was in the number of deficiencies recorded.  Deficiencies are defined as potentially harmful situations that impact the health and well-being of residents and patients.  The facility had just one deficiency this past year which is significantly lower than the state average of 8.9 deficiencies.

“Employees at CHCC are passionate about what they do – when it comes to patient care, they work hard every day to go above and beyond what is expected. We are so proud that their efforts have been recognized and rewarded during the 2013 inspection process.”

Christian Health Care Center is a skilled nursing facility located in Lynden, WA. The 142 bed, nonprofit corporation employs more than 220 Whatcom County residents; it is the largest long term care and rehabilitation center in the area.  www.chcclynden.org